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Nick Saban influencing NCAA Rules Committee?

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Current rules in college football state that defensive players aren’t guaranteed the opportunity to substitute unless the offense first substitutes. Under the new rule proposal, this policy would remain when the play clock starts at 25 seconds.

Someone please tell me, how in the world is this fair?

That’s the question many coaches not taking advantage of college football’s latest gimmick want to know, including Arkansas’ Bret Bielema and Alabama head coach Nick Saban. According to Stewart Mandel:

Saban

The HUNH offensive gimmick creates a host of problems for the game of football, not just opposing defenses. Aside from officials not being able to do their job and enforce the game’s rules, according to Saban and others, it endangers the players on the field.

There are two kinds of people who say this isn’t true:

1.) Those who have never played football; and

2.) Those whose teams currently employ this sucker-punch offensive philosophy.

Coaches who sit in the living rooms of recruits, who assure parents of future players they’ll take care of their sons’ well-being are simply trying to take care of the kids they’ve promised to care for. The chair of the NCAA Rules Committee agrees.

“This rules change is being made to enhance student-athlete safety by guaranteeing a small window for both teams to substitute,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun, chair of the rules committee, said in a prepared statement. “As the average number of plays per game has increased, this issue has been discussed with greater frequency by the committee in recent years and we felt like it was time to act in the interests of protecting our student-athletes.”

That’s right, he’s Air Force’s head coach…a defensive juggernaut. And how’s this for you; Calhoun was rumored to be in attendance with “Alabama friends” at this year’s Sugar Bowl.

What will ire HUNH gimmick lovers most is the fact that the object of their wrath and fear is possibly leading the charge to adjust the rules, which will not do away with the HUNH…just make the playing field level.

But then again, when has a HUNH team ever been able to win when the field was level? There’s certainly one in this state who hasn’t.

The predictable names in college football…Freeze, Malzahn, Rodriguez…are already crying.

Here ya go, boys:

But don’t worry. I’m sure these innovators of offensive philosophy will be able to adapt, coach and overcome this challenge.

Isn’t that what they’ve been crying for defensive coaches to be able to do?


(Follow ITK on Twitter for Bama news, commentary and smack.)

29 thoughts on “Nick Saban influencing NCAA Rules Committee?”

  1. Don’t take my word for it about the HUNH. Listen to Auburn’s own defensive coordinator:

    “Frankly, I don’t know what that proves except someone has a better verbiage package. It’s not about blocking, tackling, running, route running, throwing, and so forth. It’s something the college football world needs to look at.”

    -Auburn defensive coordinator, Ellis Johnson

    More from Johnson: http://www.footballscoop.com/news/3841-ellis-johnson-explains-why-hurry-up-offenses-are-deteriorating-the-game

          1. Dude that was legitimate!!!!!! 90 was so upset about it he was running to tell the coaches! We are all about the team effort man! Okay i admit he looked pretty lame there, but Arkansas was driving and we couldn’t afford to lose to them again!

            1. Awesome. The best part was Gus saying he never encourages his players to fake an injury…doesn’t discourage it either! Was definitely a classic.

          1. Calling a fellow high school coach to whine that the jig was up?

            Ummm, fraid so. Don’t worry. Freeze and Malzahn are coaching geniuses.

            They’ll have you another gimmick to ride soon.

    1. What’s the problem with the HUNH anyway? How is it cheating? They snap the ball faster..so what? Our defense has to play HUNH offenses too and we don’t complain.

      1. Auburn has a defense? Who knew, outside of graduated Dee Ford, that there was a defensive side of the ball?

        JK – I’ve said all along that the best thing about the Shula years at Bama was Ellis Johnson. I always liked the way he used hand signals and got out on the field to call defensive plays. He, not Malzahn, will ultimately be what makes Auburn more competitive year in and year out.

        1. I was pleasantly surprised with EJ. That was the KEY hire by Malzahn. He did a ton with very little last year! Thank goodness….he made Ryan White look good. That’s very difficult to do.

      2. I wouldn’t say the HUNH is cheating, it’s just a cheapened product of the game you and I both love.

        The problems lie in several areas, player safety is just one of them. Common sense tells you, and if you’ve ever played the game you know, you tend to get hurt when you’re tired or not going full speed. The whole concept is to 1.) wear down the defense while simultaneously not letting them substitute while 2.) wearing down the officiating crew so they can’t do their job effectively. Clemson’s OC and Gus have both said as much in coaching clinics.

        As I’ve said over and over (and will continue to), offensive penalties most often come at the beginning of a play (formation, movement, holding, etc.) while defensive penalties come toward the end of a play. In simple terms, offenses act, defenses react. The HUNH disables officiating crews, made up of men in their 40s, 50s and even 60s, from being in position EVERY play to see what they’re getting paid to see. HUNH coaches are yelling at them to hurry up, and if all crews officiated games with HUNH teams the same, there wouldn’t be a problem. Problem is, they don’t. And major infractions, yes, like the tying touchdown in the Iron Bowl, get missed. There were four blockers down field. A quarterback cannot attempt a forward pass beyond the line of scrimmage when blockers are engaged. It was a running play that Marshall turned into a passing play…a sort of “try it and see what happens kind of free play…yet it was missed. If McCarron had done this and this tables were turned, you would be beating this drum, not me…or Saban.

        We just want the rules of the game to be enforced, and the playing field level. The 10-second rule is a step in that direction. I’ve already heard stats on how many AU plays were snapped after 10 seconds, and that it won’t make that much difference. The point isn’t the time though. It’s the ability to strategize and substitute, both of which are a critical part of the game. The HUNH employs a sucker punch philosophy that is just…there’s no other way to say it…bush league and cheap.

        For the record, Bama shut out Ole Miss 25-0, and they are a HUNH team. They outscored Texas A&M on their field, and they are a HUHN team. And they held Auburn to 21 points until the offense and special teams, and yes, poor officiating, turned the tide and lost the game for them in the final minutes.

        But longterm, the new rules level the playing field. Much like when tear away jerseys were banned. Very few rules are instilled to help the defense, but this is one that should (and will) be instituted. It’s already moving downhill.

    2. Look, saying Saban.can’t beat ’em so he rules’em out is just plain stupid 3 unanimous National Championships and a 72-9 record during the HUNH era says it’s bullshit. That 6 year loss total equals Awbies losses in 2012 alone. Bama did not lose either of their final 2 games because of the HUNH. The IB was the biggest freak play in history, the worst dau in the kickers career, and a phantom motion penalty that erased the winning field goal. In the Sugar Bowl besides too many uninspired players Bama’s offense was more potent than Okies. It was the most error packed game of Saban’s career. Scabbutt say the injury thing is a farce because we keep increasing the number of games played and still want more. Well Scabbutt is full of shit as usual. The number of games keep increasing in spite of the injury possibility, because each game brings millions of dollars to the schools. Increasing the number of plays in a game doesn’t bring shit except the needless possibility of more injuries. Reasons aside – it just tickles the shit out of me that Saban may be personally responsible for butt fucking Weagle without lubricant. Bwaa Haww Haww! Bear was good at the same thing. Take your pussy offense that needs deception and an intentional plan to keep the defense from playing the game of football, and shove it up your Weagle asses. ROTFLMMFAO!

    3. The offense is free to sub on any play. The defense should be afforded the same option and not have it dictated by what the opposing offense does. It’s an unfair advantage. I hope this 10 second deal becomes a law.

    4. Well, at least the entire country now sees your beloved coach for what he really is – a whiny, self-righteous, little man. You guys can try to delude yourself however you want, but it is clear to nearly every sports pundit that has an opinion that this entire thing is a manipulation for self-interest. Perhaps we should remove the fast break from basketball so the defense has a chance to setup. While we’re at it, let’s remove play action and counter plays since they are designed to deceive defenses, and according to some on this board, deception is “dipsy-do” pussy football. No… from here forward, we are only going to play real football that includes the pro-set or pistol formation… yeah, that’s it… unless of course, saban decides to run a different offense.

      Guess what fellas, the entire college football world is laughing at your infallible coach. Congrats!

      1. What a delusional idiot you are. The whole world is still laughing at the Cow College for their way over the top harassment of the Evans family.

      2. The ENTIRE College football world is laughing at our coach?!

        Oh my gosh! We need to do something! The ENTIRE College football WORLD is laughing at Saban!

        Its true! This random guy on an Internet message board said so!

        Auburn fans….Rashaan Evans says hello!

      3. @AUtiger

        The entire football world is not laughing at Nick Saban.

        If it’s a manipulation for self-interest, consider it my self-interest, not Nick Saban’s, not Alabama’s, a team that beats most HUNH teams, by the way.

        See, I like to watch football games. Call me selfish, but only being able to see the second half of a play because the live feed didn’t quite get to the snap in time isn’t my idea of fun while watching a football game. I like seeing replays. I like refs being able to do their job just as well as the competition on offense.

        Here’s the best part——–getting rid of the trick advantage of the HUNH now might be the best thing for the HUNH teams like Auburn.

        See, now those teams will have to adapt quickly back to fundamental football. After all, the HUNH isn’t exactly winning a lot of championships. It gets beaten every year by fundamental football. Why not be prepared? Hell, you could argue that HUNH teams can thank Nick Saban for getting them prepared sooner to play fundamental football.

        Also, you can still run dipsy-do tricks and concepts that are characteristic of the HUNH. Taking more time off the play clock doesn’t stop that. So don’t try to pretend this is Saban alone trying to give him an advantage against the teams that came the closest to beating him, three of which actually did in the last four years.

        That, or don’t be surprised when he wins regardless of the rules. You can’t fake football. You just can’t. People can tell who the best teams are, and the playoff series is designed around that concept.

    5. No asshole, this is football not basketball. Basketball is a continuous game. Football is not. In football you call your plays against each other and try to out execute. But being a Barn Rat Turd you woupdn’ t know anything about football anyway. No, motherfucker, it’s Bama who is laughing our ass off at all you pussy offense cum buckets. Every one of you bastards are scurrying like rats from a sinking ship because Lord Saban has lit the fire of fear under your asses. You defenseless motherfuckers like Barnshit, A&M, Oregon, BYU, Oklahoma, etc won’t be able to compete without your pussy offenses. You pathetic bastards are suicide desperate right about now. You better throw away the knives, guns and rope and send your wives, kids and dogs to stay with the neighbors; cause this is gonna pass. Nick Satan – bane of the Barnturds. ROTFLMMFAO!

      1. We know you’re right. It’s just the NCAA who came up with this idea in the first place that doesn’t agree. That’s so weird. Could it be this has nothing to do with Alabama?

        Actually, that’s exactly what it is. The tricky part is many people aren’t going to believe that anyway. They want it to be a conspiracy and don’t want to believe Nick Saban is as good as he is. He’s a living legend, but he’s coaching at a school you don’t like so it’s his fault.

    6. Heres some stats …oh darn …..these stats show that there are less injuries per play with the HUNH than conventional offenses. Also notice that Bama has had less defensive injuries than ANY OTHER AQ team?

      Looks like Fedora is right. Teams with an excess of 5* cause way more injuries than other teams. They certainly have the ability to wear down and dominate other teams.

      Sooooooooo ….If Lil Nicky is reallllllllllly worried about injuries …he will quit putting all of those 5* on the field.

      So let’s see: The HUNH does NOT cause more injuries and having an excess of 5* athletes on one team does.

      Typical Bammer hypocrisy. Typical Bammer MO …trying to beat them on the field isn’t enough …gotta do everything possible to tilt the playing field ….monkey with the rules …make up rumors about other teams and spread them around to the press ….

      1. Even when Auburn wins the Iron Bowl, Alabama resides squarely in the center of your mind.

        THAT, friend, is why I love the little brother mentality you suffer from. It is absolutely delicious.

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